Two minutes with Chef Ben Chamberlain
What originally drew you to the element of live-fire cooking, and how important is that immersive style of cooking in shaping the intimate, unique atmosphere you’ve built at Wild?
Setting up fire pits or getting a BBQ going and gathering up friends and family was normal growing up. As a teen we used to go fishing for mackerel and the few we would catch would be cooked over the fire as we danced pretending to be cavemen. After I started working as a chef, I didn’t connect it with fine dining as it wasn’t used in conventional kitchens. It wasn’t till we got a big green egg with the goal to cook the best steak that I start playing with fire more seriously. I've been cooking with fire in kitchens now for over 12 years now and I channelled everything I’ve learned into Wild!
The 10 seat dining experience is quite unique, how did this concept come about and what makes it so special for guests?
It started with the table - 10 guests close to the fire with produce on show and nowhere for me to hide! The best part is the organic conversation sparked by what's on the menu. 10 is the perfect number for this; it’s intimate and fun to connect in this unique way.
Within the 11-course tasting menu, what type of dishes can guests expect?
I draw inspiration from all parts of the world using the best produce I can source around the UK. At the moment, we have otoro blue fin tuna seared directly on embers finished with a sauce using thai basil, galangal & mirin, aged rib of dairy beef, crispy red heidi potatoes, pit cooked beets and beef stock reduce with yuzu ponzu. To finish is my take on an Baked Alaska, kaffia limes zested tart, toffee apple & galangal, yuzu parfait finished by scorching Italian meringue with a basket of hot embers.
Was there a time in your career that inspired your interest in hyper-seasonal cooking, and is there a specific seasonal ingredient you look forward to most each year?
When I was at the Jetty in Mudeford, bay prawns arrived for one month of the year. I saw that gorgeous pink colour and got excited, so I shelled a few, added a bit of salt, lemon and olive oil and ate them straight out of the delivery box. I was blown away by the sweetness. It was a spark, the difference between those and out of season, imported prawns. Produce in peak season just tastes better.
It's been reaffirmed every spring since. After the hungry gap, the first wild garlic shoots pop up and you remember that this is the best way to build a menu. It's only got stronger as we've built Wild and I've helped shape the growth of our walled garden. With ten covers and one sitting, we're small enough to cook produce at its absolute peak, even if that's only for a week or two.